The Name of My Father
by ilaria-eugeal-tomasini
Summary: Seth is a young knight who is ready to find his place in life, but before he can begin looking at his future he has to solve a mistery from the past: who was his father?
The young knight smiled at the sunlight warming his skin and he listened to the sound of the wind in the trees.
It was the first time he was so far away from home and that new adventure made him a little nervous, but he was excited for the start of his new life as a knight.  
He knew he was lucky: he was the son of a servant and usually people like him could only aspire to become servants in their turn, or peasants. At most merchants, but certainly not knights.  
But ever since he was little, Seth had always been fascinated by the gleaming swords of the knights and spent whole days watching the sons of their masters while they trained as knights, and he imitated their gestures with a stick he found on the ground.  
One day, when he was seven or eight years old, Lady Glasson had looked at him.  
"Would you like to become a knight, isn't it?"  
He nodded, worried. He knew that his was an impossible and presumptuous wish and that the lady of the manor would have every reason to punish him for that reason, but the woman had smiled instead.  
"From tomorrow you will become a page, like my younger children. If you strive hard, you'll become a squire and then a knight."  
He had looked at her, wide-eyed with disbelief.  
"But my mother is just a servant, how could I be a knight?"  
"What do you know about your father, boy?"  
"Mom never speaks of him. I think he's dead."  
Lady Glasson gave him a wry smile.  
"Who knows, maybe he was a knight and you will follow his steps. But you'll need to work hard to earn your future."  
The lady kept her word, and allowed him to become a page and a squire. Then, when he turned twenty-one the month before, he had been knighted, under the proud eyes of his mother.  
Lady Glasson had given him a horse, not very young and a bit run down but still a horse, and he was eager to win glory and riches in tournaments in order to repay the debt he had with his benefactress, and to offer his mother a peaceful life, without having to work anymore.  
But before going in search of fortune he had another thing to find: his past.  
Growing, he had become tall, much taller than the other boys of the manor and often the guests of Lady Glasson mistook him for a nobleman, and were surprised when they discovered that the young man with dark hair and a proud profile was just the son of a servant.  
One day an elderly merchant of leather, who traveled around to sell his wares, had winced to see him and he was quick to make the sign of the cross.  
Seth frowned at seeing his behavior.  
"Why did you cross yourself, sir?"  
"For a moment I thought I was dead and that I ended up in hell."  
"Why?"  
"Because you are identical to _him_. He must have gone to hell. So I was afraid I was dead too."  
"Him? Who are you talking about?"  
"Guy of Gisborne. He worked for the Sheriff of Nottingham and everyone hated him."  
"And you say he looked like me?"  
"It has been many years since I've seen him, but he looked exactly like you. I told you, I mistook you for him."  
Seth felt his heart beginning to beat faster. Was that Guy of Gisborne the mysterious father who his mother never spoke of?  
"What happened to him?"  
"I heard that he died when Nottingham Castle collapsed. But he already changed, some say he had become mad."  
"Was it true? Was him as evil as they say?"  
The merchant had shrugged.  
"Probably he was, although the real devil was the sheriff. Gisborne was a client of mine, once. I made his clothes and even if he was quite arrogant and impatient, he paid well. Among other things, I didn't have to work very hard, he always asked the same model for his jacket." The man thought for a moment, then he nodded to himself. "I could show it to you, if you wanted."  
"How?"  
"Before he changed, Gisborne commissioned me new clothes, but then he left suddenly with the sheriff and when he returned, he was no longer the same. He never came to get his order even if he had already paid for it. For years those clothes have been at the bottom of my wagon, no one would buy them, they must still be there."  
"Can I see them?"  
"Why do you care so much, boy?"  
"If that man looked like me so much, perhaps it could be my father, I never knew who he was."  
"Oh. I hope for you he isn't your father, but in fact it could be. You really are identical to him."  
The man had searched the bottom of the wagon up and pulled out a dusty bundle. Inside there were clothes still new despite their years and Seth had picked up a black leather jacket, closed by clasps in the shape of a wolf's head. The same clasps were sewn on the gloves.  
The merchant smiled.  
"Why don't you try them?"  
"I'm probably too tall," Seth said, resigned, but he was surprised to find that the clothes seemed to have been tailor-made for him.  
The merchant had looked at him, shaking his head.  
"You really look like Guy of Gisborne, it's incredible."  
The young man sighed, beginning to unhook the clasps to take off the jacket. He thought it was almost a miracle to have found a trace of the man who might have been his father, but he knew he could not afford clothes of that quality.  
"Don't you want to keep them, boy? They seem to be made for you."  
"I would love to, but I fear that they cost too much."  
The merchant had thought for a moment.  
"Keep them all the same. Gisborne had paid them in advance and if you are his son they are yours by right. Actually I always had a little fear in thinking that the ghost of that man could come to haunt me because I had kept his clothes and at the same time I was afraid even to get rid of them. If you like those clothes, I'll be happy to get rid of them and if you really want to pay me in some way, download the cart for me, my back is not what it used to be.  
Seth was happy to help him, and that night when he came home wearing the black leather clothes, he had the proof that the old merchant's words were true: his mother had become pale and she had to sit.  
"Where did you get those clothes, Seth?"  
"So is it true? My father was Guy of Gisborne?"  
Annie stared at him.  
" _Was_?" She had asked in a trembling voice.  
"The merchant who has given the clothes to me said that he died many years ago."  
"Oh." Annie had stared at the flames of the fireplace and Seth couldn't tell if the news had saddened her or if she was relieved.  
"Mom?" Seth had sat beside her and took her hand in his. "Now can you tell me about him? I want to know who my father was."

Seth passed by the ruins of the old castle and shivered, remembering the words of the old merchant: perhaps his father had died when that building collapsed.  
He dismounted and paused to look at the fallen stones, wondering if it was true, if really Guy of Gisborne had been killed there. Some workers were loading on a cart a few blocks of stone to bring them to the construction site of the new castle, not far from there, and Seth waited until they were gone before kneeling before the ruins to say a prayer for the soul of his father.  
The merchant had told him that he thought that Guy of Gisborne surely must have gone to hell and his mother had told him that his father was a cruel man who had once left him to die in the forest.  
Yet in the eyes of Annie, Seth had also seen a flash of sadness as she spoke of his father.  
He realized that once Annie must have loved him and Seth thought that his mother wouldn't fall in love with a completely evil man. Maybe Guy of Gisborne had also some good sides and the boy was hoping to find them out.  
He was still kneeling when he heard footsteps behind him, and the voice of a man who addressed him.  
"If you seek a church, there is one in the other street. Perhaps it would be better to go there to pray that in this damn place."  
Seth stood up and turned to face the man: he had a few years more than her mother, and his pale hair was beginning to be streaked with white. He was accompanied by a big man older than him and four kids of various ages, all very similar to him with the same fair hair and pleasant face. A little girl was holding on to her father's arm, and she rocked herself, laughing.  
When Seth turned, the other two men were startled and, as the merchant did, even the big ruffled man crossed himself hastily.  
"Gisborne! It's the ghost of Gisborne!" The other one stammered, terrified, then he struggled to find the courage to talk to Seth. "Are you... are you resting in peace? And is Robin with you? Is he fine?"  
The young man stared at them, amazed, and even the kids looked at their father, puzzled.  
"So it's true? My father died here? Did you know him?"  
"Your father?"  
"Guy of Gisborne was my father. My name is Seth."  
"Seth! The child that we found in the forest!"  
"The son of Annie?"  
"You knew my mother too?! Who are you?"  
"My name is Much and he's Little John. I heard your cry when we found you in the forest many years ago. You were really small, then."  
"Then you are the companions of Robin Hood? My mother says that without your help we would both have been lost. According to her, Robin Hood is a hero, I would love to meet him."  
Seth saw that the eyes of Much suddenly filled up with tears.  
"Robin is dead… a long time ago. In the same day when also your father died."  
"Oh. I'm sorry."  
"You look like him," Little John said, who had remained silent until then. "You are identical to Gisborne."  
"Was he really as bad as people say?" Seth asked, sadly.  
"Yes. And no." Much said. "It's hard to explain. It's a long story and now it's almost time for lunch. Come with us to Locksley and we will tell you everything."

Seth led the horse by the bridle as they entered the village of Locksley. The others were on foot, and he would feel uncomfortable to ride. As they crossed the village, almost all the peasants looked at him, curious to see a new face, but the older ones, who clearly remembered his father, seemed startled to see him.  
Little John went away just before they arrived at the village, saying that he was going to call a certain Friar Tuck, and Much stopped in front of the village manor.  
"I have to go looking for Eve, my wife, but you can go inside. Just say who you are and there won't be any problems."  
Seth started to protest, but Much had already moved away, dragged by his children.  
The boy envied a bit those happy children because they had the good fortune to grow up and be loved by both parents. His mother loved him dearly but she had little free time to spend with him, both of them being too busy to improve their lives to afford distractions.  
He took a deep breath for courage and entered the manor.  
The house was clearly well lived and a little neglected, but still in good condition. It certainly lacked a feminine touch, he thought, watching the shields and swords hanging on the walls.  
Above the fireplace towered a large shield painted of yellow and black, the colors still bright even though the paint was starting to peel a little."  
A man was sitting by the fire and he spoke to Seth, without looking at him.  
"Who are you? Come forward, show me your face."  
The young knight got near the light of the flames.  
"My name is…"  
"Guy!" The other man exclaimed, rising to his feet. He shook his head, feeling like a fool. "No, of course you can't be him."  
"Guy of Gisborne was my father. I'm Seth, who are you, sir? Much said that if I told you my name there would be no problems."  
Seth looked at the man in front of him: he had no more than forty years, but he had the look of one who got hardened after surviving many battles. His face was marked by a scar across his cheek, the eye miraculously untouched.  
"For many years I called myself Robin Hood, although the real Robin Hood was my brother. When he died I took his place to keep alive his legend, but my real name is Archer, and your father was also my brother." He noticed the puzzled look of Seth and smiled. "I know, it is a strange and complicated story."  
"So you're my uncle?"  
"So it seems. It's funny, I was alone and suddenly I had so many brothers and now that I have no one an unknown nephew came out of nowhere. But I have no doubt that you are the son of Guy, even a blind man could notice it."  
He motioned for him to sit and Seth took one of the chairs by the fireplace.  
"Many people told me that I resemble him, but is it a good thing? Some say that he was an evil man."  
"No one is ever completely evil, son," a voice spoke from the door and Seth turned, catching sight of a monk with dark skin and strong body, a bit bent because of his age.  
"Did you know my father too?"  
Tuck came in, followed by Little John and shortly after them, Much and Eve arrived too, surrounded by children and holding two overflowing trays of food.  
They sat down at the table. Archer sat at the head of the table and gestured for Seth to sit in front of him.  
"Locksley belonged to Robin and then to Guy and now it's mine, but it also belongs to you, boy. After the name of Guy has been rehabilitated, what he possessed passed to me, but now I would say that you are the legitimate heir."  
"I don't want to take anything away from you, uncle."  
Archer laughed.  
"Robin's legacy is already too much for me. Definitely a young knight like you will have a better use for half of this house and a few silver coins."  
Seth thought that he and Annie could live free and that his mother wouldn't be forced to work anymore, while he could repay Lady Glasson for the weapons and the horse she had given to him.  
But in that moment what really mattered to him was not the legacy of Guy of Gisborne, but his memory.  
"I don't know almost anything about my father." He confessed. "I still don't know if I can bear his name proudly, or if should I be ashamed..."  
"I hated Guy of Gisborne," Little John said. "He was a traitor and a murderer and if it were up to me I would rather have seen him dead."  
Seth paled, but Little John had not finished talking.  
"Yet he saved my life and he fought heroically at our side. His sacrifice and Robin's one have saved many people and he died with honor. Gisborne I did not like, and he wasn't a saint, but he had his good sides. Be proud of your name, Seth of Gisborne."  
The young man nodded, a little touched.  
"Please, tell me about him. Tell me everything, the good and the bad."

Seth left Nottingham in a beautiful spring morning, riding on a black stallion and with sword of his father at his waist.  
Archer had told him that the black horse descended from the one preferred by Guy of Gisborne and he was pleased he gave it to him.  
He had gone in search of his past, fearing to find that he was the son of a demon without honor and instead he had found a truth full of many different shades. His father was not a hero, nor an evil person with no scruples, but he was just a man with his mistakes, his feelings, his faults and his good sides.  
Several people hated him, but someone had also loved him and this was enough to Seth.  
He looked back at the horse of Lady Glasson who now followed the black stallion, clearly relieved to not have to carry his weight anymore. Impulsively, Seth decided that he would use some of the money that Archer gave to him to buy that battered nag and he would give it a peaceful old age in Locksley stables.  
That morning he had said goodbye to his uncle and to his new friends before leaving Nottingham, but he didn't feel sad: he would soon return and he would bring his mother with him.  
Maybe his father had never cared for him, perhaps he had never regretted abandoning him in the forest, but now it no longer mattered.  
Guy of Gisborne had given him what he had always wanted: a home, a family and the opportunity to care for his mother.  
For that Seth would always be grateful.  
"I will pray for your soul, father. May you rest in peace."


End file.
